...........and.......we have the current #2 woman rider in the nation riding with us. She rode the TdN and I'm sure is going back next year. Are we (as a club) not helping her if we don't set no-stop thus year and she has no time at it before the nex TdN. She is already riding differnt rules at nationals compared to us-the gate rule This is a good example of what not having consistent rules throughout the sport can do. What a mess.

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You'd be surprised how quickly riders adapt................if they listen

Rachel at TdN was a perfect example. No trials could have been more foreign for her. She got her bike Friday am just before the start of the Women's WC final round. less than an hour before the start. She had about 15 minutes of practice and the she started. She had no mud experience that I know of and she struggled on the first lap but she figured it out quickly and by lap 2 she was rockin. She figured out that you had to keep moving, keep the flow.. Stop and Hop was a big mistake except for a few set ups. In a very short time she became a mud rider. She was a big part why our Women finished so well in Saturday's TdN.

Rachel at TdN was a perfect example. No trials could have been more foreign for her. She got her bike Friday am just before the start of the Women's WC final round. less than an hour before the start. She had about 15 minutes of practice and the she started. She had no mud experience that I know of and she struggled on the first lap but she figured it out quickly and by lap 2 she was rockin. She figured out that you had to keep moving, keep the flow.. Stop and Hop was a big mistake except for a few set ups. In a very short time she became a mud rider. She was a big part why our Women finished so well in Saturday's TdN.

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I heard that she got her bike literally minutes before her start time and had a difficult start but was doing great by the second loop.
She has rode some mud at the eastern nationals but she told me that it was fierce in Switzerland and the loop had a muddy downhill that was crazy.

She is certainly a great example of what this sport is about. She is a great rider, contributes non-stop (no pun intended) and is always willing to help out anyone with encouragement and a smile.

Rachel at TdN was a perfect example. No trials could have been more foreign for her. She got her bike Friday am just before the start of the Women's WC final round. less than an hour before the start. She had about 15 minutes of practice and the she started. She had no mud experience that I know of and she struggled on the first lap but she figured it out quickly and by lap 2 she was rockin. She figured out that you had to keep moving, keep the flow.. Stop and Hop was a big mistake except for a few set ups. In a very short time she became a mud rider. She was a big part why our Women finished so well in Saturday's TdN.

Proof you shouldn't believe everything you read. Her report on TdN is not accurate and it bothers me. It sounds like she didn't even leave the pits. It does not do justice to the amazing organization by the Swiss club and the town of Moutier.

Read my report on the TdN in the latest Trials and Enduro news. I love telling this story. It was world class organization.The best I've seen in 40 years of going to World Trials. It was everything a trials should be. It was an event organized by and for the City of Moutier and the Swiss MC Federation. Spectators were everywhere and they were catered to. Shuttle buses got them to the section groups so fast there where there before us and able to follow the whole event. At each section group there were huge tents with tables, chairs and big screen TV's with up to minute section scoring. More importantly they were serving cold beer and hot food. Each section had a huge digital display that showed the riders time and score. The checkers had remotes and as the rider dabbed the score changed instantly and the clock counted down. At one hill climb section they built a real wooden 150' staircase that allowed people to see the whole section.

The Paddock area was unreal. It was huge 2 story convention center in the middle of town. Down stairs were the pits, showers and meeting rooms....A good size practice area just outside with big logs and rocks. Spectators could watch practice. There were 3 sections just outside next to the center and the distance form the beer and sausages vendor was maybe 50'. There were tables and umbrellas there too. Upstairs the convention center was another world. In a word "atmosphere" The final 2 sections were indoors, bleachers for spectators, huge stage, professional sound and lighting, they had the announcer from the Indoors there, a VIP beer garden for sponsors, dozens of vendors, S3, Clice, Montesa, Sherco, GasGas local trials dealers etc...Motorex Oil and Monster Energy were the main sponsors....there was a bicycle trials demo area and all under one roof.....and food, very good food, In the morning omelets, fresh croissants, espresso, pastries. later in the day roast ham and olive oil french fries and cold beer. After the awards ceremony they served complementary local wine and cheese and meats to everyone. The air in that place was a mix of exhaust and french fries...It was heaven.

Talking about nationals and or world rounds, do they still have time to change the rules for them?

Well, if they do, I have even less desire to goto one and compete.

But I guess, I am not totaly sure on my stance, if nationals this year, get announced as no stop. I probably wont go (yeah empty threat, because I don't go that much anyway, they are so far away)... BBBBbut I would rather not spend that kind of $$ the 1st year of this IMHO, especially ridiculous rules changes, let them fight it out with you rich basterds (lol) that go all the time...

I think "not stopped" or "Stopped" (foot down or not) is tooo freaking much "judges discretion" and is one of the reason's we moved away from it a while back! Or at least I like to think so... because it makes sense to have don so.

Doing so back in what, in around 96???? It took this BS "was he or wasn't she stopped" from a judge that might see 2 guys ride exactly same, one get fived the other not. It is never perfect but removing yet one more possibility is a step in teh right direction, opposite of what they are doing now...

Plus, they did that for a reason, they even were going to build electrical boxes you hooked to your bike, that would light up if front wheel stopped turning, problem is if I pull a wheelie turn touch my brake, the box would light up even though rider was moving.

Its all going to be turned into nothing but Bullship anyway, if they bring back no stop. it is worse than the "slipped back wards enough to be fived, or lost forward momentum or not, enough to be fived, arguements that depends on how the judge "thinks" he saw, how hard ass he wants to be, plus they cannot be consistent in these calls, they never are. and we're not going to have instant replay for the foreseeable future :huh.

I've been a judge, almost every weekend, and I am guilty of being nicer than I should be. I know that I lets newbies (novice/beginner) more latitude, on slipping or pulling backwards a little bit for any reason, for example... Yet, I also know if you aren't in novice, I am much harder on those riders in my sections I have no idea how others are handling it, but from the few times I dont judge and take my newbs around, many are even more "forgiving", which in hind sight might be allowing them novices false "accomplishment" since they should have been fived, if we strictly followed the rules..

but I always noticed, that these novice guys/gals that don't get the big five, try harder each time, but I don't know if they understand my thinking, and or even know, that when they move up it'll be a five for sure. I fight the need to explain why I didnt five them this time, but most times, I do warn them that "you were damn close to pulling your bike backwards too much, and getting a five" so they know.

This is not a big deal on club events where 70% of the riders are just there to have fun, and learn... But at the big Shows, this is going to PISS (not only me off) but EVERYONE that spends the BIG $ to compete, and get screwed over by undeniably inconsistant judging...

I have a "TRIALS TV" collection, and the one for 06 I think it was, where you watch Dougie and a few riders ride a section "clean" with more stops in them, but Raga (relatively newcommer at the time) got given 3 stop points and if you even run a stop watch, he rode the section in 30 seconds less time than the guys that didn't get stop points... I am a raga fan, but it has nothing to do with Raga, it pisses me off every time I watch that section, and even the commentator says "somehow they charged raga with stop points" Im like yeah, costs him thousands of dollars (could cost you the whole trials to get 3 unearned points you know) to be treated differently than the other competitors, and should NOT ever happen, but it DOES.

So again the "no stop crap was retried, and scrapped yet again, but here we go again! RIDICULOUSNESS!

Talking about nationals and or world rounds, do they still have time to change the rules for them?

Well, if they do, I have even less desire to goto one and compete.

But I guess, I am not totaly sure on my stance, if nationals this year, get announced as no stop. I probably wont go (yeah empty threat, because I don't go that much anyway, they are so far away)... BBBBbut I would rather not spend that kind of $$ the 1st year of this IMHO, especially ridiculous rules changes, let them fight it out with you rich basterds (lol) that go all the time...

I think "not stopped" or "Stopped" (foot down or not) is tooo freaking much "judges discretion" and is one of the reason's we moved away from it a while back! Or at least I like to think so... because it makes sense to have don so.

Doing so back in what, in around 96???? It took this BS "was he or wasn't she stopped" from a judge that might see 2 guys ride exactly same, one get fived the other not. It is never perfect but removing yet one more possibility is a step in teh right direction, opposite of what they are doing now...

Plus, they did that for a reason, they even were going to build electrical boxes you hooked to your bike, that would light up if front wheel stopped turning, problem is if I pull a wheelie turn touch my brake, the box would light up even though rider was moving.

Its all going to be turned into nothing but Bullship anyway, if they bring back no stop. it is worse than the "slipped back wards enough to be fived, or lost forward momentum or not, enough to be fived, arguements that depends on how the judge "thinks" he saw, how hard ass he wants to be, plus they cannot be consistent in these calls, they never are. and we're not going to have instant replay for the foreseeable future :huh.

I've been a judge, almost every weekend, and I am guilty of being nicer than I should be. I know that I lets newbies (novice/beginner) more latitude, on slipping or pulling backwards a little bit for any reason, for example... Yet, I also know if you aren't in novice, I am much harder on those riders in my sections I have no idea how others are handling it, but from the few times I dont judge and take my newbs around, many are even more "forgiving", which in hind sight might be allowing them novices false "accomplishment" since they should have been fived, if we strictly followed the rules..

but I always noticed, that these novice guys/gals that don't get the big five, try harder each time, but I don't know if they understand my thinking, and or even know, that when they move up it'll be a five for sure. I fight the need to explain why I didnt five them this time, but most times, I do warn them that "you were damn close to pulling your bike backwards too much, and getting a five" so they know.

This is not a big deal on club events where 70% of the riders are just there to have fun, and learn... But at the big Shows, this is going to PISS (not only me off) but EVERYONE that spends the BIG $ to compete, and get screwed over by undeniably inconsistant judging...

I have a "TRIALS TV" collection, and the one for 06 I think it was, where you watch Dougie and a few riders ride a section "clean" with more stops in them, but Raga (relatively newcommer at the time) got given 3 stop points and if you even run a stop watch, he rode the section in 30 seconds less time than the guys that didn't get stop points... I am a raga fan, but it has nothing to do with Raga, it pisses me off every time I watch that section, and even the commentator says "somehow they charged raga with stop points" Im like yeah, costs him thousands of dollars (could cost you the whole trials to get 3 unearned points you know) to be treated differently than the other competitors, and should NOT ever happen, but it DOES.

So again the "no stop crap was retried, and scrapped yet again, but here we go again! RIDICULOUSNESS!

What you think?

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I asked Brad on his facebook page(Kinda felt like an ass,but someone needed to get NATC's statement)
" We will see how things go at the world level and discuss it at next years meeting in October of 2013."
A most sensible reply!